Irish Music Stories is the show about traditional music.... and the much bigger stories behind it. IMS is about everything--through an Irish music lens.

Whether you already play the fiddle or you know nothing about trad music or dance, I hope you'll join me, Shannon Heaton, as I learn how a band of Boston tweens ended up at a big music competition in Sligo, and what it meant to their families... and as I dig into the darker, sweeter side of Irish humor... and as I explore what learning Irish songs together is really all about.

Meet thoughtful and incredibly charming people in pubs, kitchens, and backstages throughout the U.S., Ireland, and beyond, underscored with toe-tapping and heart-soaring melodies that seem familiar, even if you've never heard them before.

Was Robert Burns cooking up exciting new stuff
when he wrote, “best laid schemes o’ mice an' men gang aft a-gley?”
Well, Irish Music Stories is! After hitting a snag in the SECOND
Tuesday publishing schedule, IMS will seize the opportunity to
launch The Travel Series. Starting next week, host Shannon Heaton
will take listeners on a very traditional music tour of Japan,
Scotland, and Cape Breton. Just one week to go: start packing your
bags for Irish and Celtic music from far-off lands… and the bigger
stories behind it.